Man accused of hitting Salem officer in leg with vehicle

SALEM — A man was arrested by Massachusetts State Police after allegedly hitting a Salem police officer with a truck on Monday evening.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Monday evening, two police officers were investigating a report of a suspicious person in the area of 75 South Policy St., according to Lt. Ron Peddle. A resident called and told police that an apparently intoxicated man was at his door asking for directions.

After getting directions, the man drove away in a white pickup truck that also had a child in it, according to the resident.

The police officers stopped the truck on Muse Terrace, a dead-end street. However, the driver then drove away from the officers, made a U-turn, and pointed his truck at the officers while revving the engine.

The suspect reportedly drove his truck at the officers, hitting one of them in the knee as the officer jumped over the hood of the truck, according to Peddle.

Both officers attempted to pursue the truck, but lost sight of it in the area of Pleasant Street and South Policy Road.

The truck was identified as a White Chevrolet Silverado registered to a woman in Lowell.

Lowell police were notified, and they sent a photograph of the owner’s boyfriend, David Babcock, who was identified as the driver of the truck by the two police officers, according to Peddle.

At 8:30 p.m., Babcock was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and held pending extradition on charges of being a fugitive from justice based on the crimes committed in Salem, which include first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

The injured police officer, who was not identified, was treated and released from the hospital.